It is becoming increasingly apparent that typical western diets high in fat lead to a plethora of pathophysiological states ranging from obesity and type 2 diabetes to coronary heart disease. The correlation between chronically elevated plasma free fatty acids and triglycerides with the development of obesity, insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease has led to the hypothesis that decreases in pancreatic insulin production, cardiac failure, arrhythmias, and hypertrophy are due to aberrant accumulation of lipids in these tissues that normally do not store significant levels of fatty acids and triglycerides.